This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Treatment of various musculoskeletal disorders and injuries is an ongoing problem. The body's joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons, and structures that support the limbs, neck, and back can be afflicted by degenerative diseases and inflammatory conditions that cause pain and impair normal activities. The body can also suffer injuries from strenuous activities, repetitive activities, or accidents that include abrasions, contusions, and fractures. Certain musculoskeletal issues arise from arthritis, aging, and participation in various physical or athletic activities.
Arthritis, for example, is a common disease resulting in inflammation that breaks down the lining of joints and cartilage. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It is the result of aging “wear and tear” and trauma to the joint, such as sports injuries or fractures. Major complaints of individuals with arthritis include joint pain, swelling, warmth, weakness, giving way of joint, instability, catching, popping, stiffness, poor sleep, muscle pain and fatigue. Autoimmune arthritides, such as rheumatoid arthritis, occurs when the body's immune system attacks itself. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are characterized by joint inflammation and cartilage degradation. Mesenchymal stem cells can rebuild cartilage, where the stem cells are resident in the superficial zone of articular cartilage. Treatment of arthritis has relied on relieving symptoms by exercise, braces, weight loss, medications, and surgery including total joint replacement. Medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have risks that include the stomach, cardiovascular system and kidneys leading to ulcers, heart attacks and kidney failure. There is no disease modifying treatment for osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is accelerated with obesity/weight gain due to increased joint reactive forces.
Aging is a course of degeneration that is associated with the onset of many diseases. As people age, the prevalence of conditions associated with systemic inflammation, such as obesity, increases which is a common manifestation of aging. The body's ability to stimulate new bone marrow cells including mesenchymal stem cells decreases during aging, the result of which weakens the immune system and the ability to regenerate tissues. Conditions currently identified with an increased prevalence with age and increased inflammation include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's, chronic kidney disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, and other diseases. Symptoms of aging are associated with the underlying oxidative stress, increased inflammation, weakened immune system and the body's decreased ability to form new cells and tissues. Major symptoms of aging include fatigue, lethargy, changes in sleeping pattern, poor memory, poor vision, wrinkles, poor dentition, sexual dysfunction, decreased libido, type II diabetes, increased weight gain, fractures, constipation, skin changes including brown spots, loss of skin elasticity, menopause, hearing loss, increased bone fracture, arthritis, to name a few.
Injuries resulting from physical and athletic activities include muscle strains, joint sprains, ligament injuries, cartilage injuries, fractures and overuse conditions. Joints that are often attended to by an orthopedic surgeon for sports injury include the shoulder, knee, ankle, elbow, and wrist. Sports injuries can be accompanied by symptoms including pain, stiffness, swelling, feelings of instability, weakness, redness, crepitance, bruising, and/or mechanical symptoms such as locking or catching in a joint. Sports medicine has developed as a specialty for the prevention and treatment of sports-related injuries that occur at the ligament, muscle, tendon, and bone. Conventional treatment for sports injuries includes rest, ice, compression, elevation. Additional treatments include physical therapy and sports medicine rehabilitation, medication such as NSAIDs to reduce inflammation that exacerbates the injury and leads to surgery. There is no known medication or current treatment to accelerate the healing process after injury. Aging athletes are at increased risk of sports injury. An overweight, obese athlete is less physically fit and at increased risk of injury including arthritis due to increased joint reactive forces.
Mitigation of one or more symptoms or issues arising from joint problems, aging, and sports related injuries often includes the use of various anti-inflammatory treatments. Current anti-inflammatory treatments exhibit certain limitations. For example, the most commonly prescribed inflammatory/arthritis medications are the various NSAID drugs. NSAIDs include over the counter products, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, naproxen, and aspirin, and also include prescription formulations that of naproxen and celecoxib. Several of these medications are associated with one or more side effects, some of which can be severe. Acetaminophen-associated overdoses, in particular, account for about 56,000 emergency room visits and about 26,000 hospitalizations yearly and more than 450 deaths from liver failure. Acetaminophen is also the number one cause of acute liver failure and can result in kidney toxicity. NSAIDs can further induce nausea, heartburn, ingestion, abdominal pain, bleeding ulcer (GI complaints), where approximately 16,500 people per year die as a result of NSAID-associated gastrointestinal complications and an estimated 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for NSAID-related GI complications. NSAIDs can further present complications relating to heart attack, stroke (cardiovascular events), congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and kidney damage.
It would be advantageous to have an alternative to NSAIDs for the treatment of various health issues including musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.